Champion of the Gods
by Sixth Legion Victrix
Summary: On the day of Andromeda's long-awaited Sector Ceremony, new information comes to light on the heroes of the old. Led by Heracles, the Ancient Heroes begin a revolt against the Gods and all that they stand for. Watch as Andromeda and her friends become a part of something godly big. Will she rise to her heritage as the God's Champion? Or succumb to the allure of the Ancient side?
1. Sector Ceremony Gone Wrong

**A/N: This is my new Greek Mythology story! Sorry if this sounds Divergent-ish, but that will change later! Please tell me your opinon of it! **

A/N: This is my entry for the Young Authors competition and it will only include the first 3 chapters. For the full version, please go to the other one!

The day she had been waiting for her whole life had finally come. Andromeda was about to choose her Sector, which was the deciding choice of the rest of her life. The Sectors were groups of people dedicated to each Greek god or goddess. In Cloria, her home city, children chose the path of which god they wanted to pursue when they were 13. This choice became their Sector for life. Andromeda was only 15 minutes away from picking her destiny, and she still had indecision.

Her friends had it easier. Melissa was obviously going to join Poseidon because she was the absolute best Water User in the past few generations. Scorpia had a little more indecision, but she was confident in picking Hermes because her whole family has always been there, and she liked to trick people.

Andromeda considered Ares, because she enjoyed combat training, or Zeus, because she was one of the best Air Users in her generation, but after a few minutes more of contemplation, she found that her true desire lied with Athena.

She loved learning new things, and combat training, as aforementioned. Wisdom and War. That's the Athena Sector in a nutshell. The only reason she was unsure was because her twin sister, Sirina, was dead set on picking Zeus. She always wanted to become an official Air Master of Cloria.

Finally, Andromeda had decided that her desires overruled family ties. She loved her sister, but wanted to follow her own dream of becoming a Combat and Strategy Master. That would allow her to become a leader on the Clorian Council. Besides, her sister and her weren't that close anyway. Clorian Council was the highest court in Cloria, and was the one that made decisions with the gods.

The gods. That was what a Clorian life was all about. Once you joined a god's Sector, you were basically pledging yourself to that god. The members of that council were even allowed to sit in and sometimes contribute to the gods meetings!

"Welcome Clorians to our annual Sector Ceremony!" declared the announcer, Alexander Caesar (no relation to Julius Caesar) who also happened to be the leader of the Council. "This is where the Next Generation will determine the course of the rest of this lifetime!"

At this point, all the tyros walked onto the stage in an orderly fashion. "These young men and women that stand before you today have all reached at least their 13th year of age and have been trained in basic combat and mental skills." That's true.

To participate in the Sector Ceremony, all the tyros had to pass a difficult test on various subjects and Greek History, and do decently in a tournament of comabt skill and strategy. If someone failed either, they had to wait another year to choose their Sector.

"I will call the tyros in order of how well they did in training!" he began. "First up, we have Andromeda Bellator and Melissa Blue, who both tied for first!" Andromeda was very happy at this accomplishment. Melissa had done a little better on the test, but Andromeda beat her in combat when a dog ran by and she got distracted. Never the less, a draw is a draw! Melissa walked up first, held her right arm diagonally across her chest in a Clorian salute, and yelled,

"Poseidon!" As she did this, a mark that resembled a trident burned into her right inner forearm, marking her forever as one of the Poseidon Sector.

Andromeda was next. Taking a deep breath, Andromeda strode up to center of the stage, held her arm in salute, and shouted the one word that changed her life forever.

"Athena!" It was a strange, yet pleasant feeling as an image of an owl with 2 swords in the background formed on her skin. She felt this rush of energy as the mark glowed blue for a second, then died back down. While everyone lightly clapped, Athena descended from the stage, and joined he friends in the waiting area.

Soon enough, they were joined by Scorpia, who now had a caduceus marking on her arm, and they later saw Sirina join her friends with a lightening bolt marking. Sirina still talked to Andromeda once in a while, but they both had their separate lives, despite being sisters.

After all the tyros had a Sector, some of the heroes from the Circle of Ancient Heroes, or Ancients for short, got up to deliver a conclusion speach.

"It is nice to see all those young tyros in their Sectors today!" Heracles, their leader, began. "But, what I would rather see is the downfall of the gods!" Gasps on disbelief and horror were heard amongst the crowd. "Yeah, that's right! You heard me! Down with Olympus and Down with Cloria! The gods haven't done a thing for us in years! They are all off monitoring Mortal Earth and are to busy to even take care of their people!"

That was true. Ever since the Collision, the moment when Cloria and Olympus combined with Mortal Earth, things have been a little more chaotic in their new capitol, Cloria. The Capitol of the Gods was still Olympus, but no humans could go their without permission. Council members were occasionally invited, but that was once in a blue moon.

"And the most treacherous thing of all, was the fact that we are now expected to convert over to the human beliefs and styles! I mean, how can we be expected to be true Greeks when we are forced to behave like mortals! No weapons in public! Not every conflict is solved in a duel! People being free to deny the gods wishes!"

That again was true. Any unSectored child can choose to leave Cloria and its training at any time. Also, weapons were not allowed to be displayed in public, but that did not stop anyone from concealing them as bracelets or rings.

Panic began to spread as several of the Ancients grabbed their weapons and held them out threateningly to the crowd. Everyone else that had a weapon, which was pretty much everyone over the weapon-bearing age of 9, drew their ammunition and got ready for a fight.

What they did not expect was Heracles to continue speaking. "Anyone that shares our beliefs that is over tyro age, (16 years) can come and join us now. Surprisingly, about 20 soldiers jumped out of nowhere and began to circle around the crowd. That was when the fighting began.

Some of the Ares people started to try and subdue the rogue soldiers, but shockingly, they only turned and fled, along with most of the Ancients. Even some over the people in the crowd joined them.

"TRAITORS! All of you!" Alexander yelled to the defectors.

"The Revival will prevail!" Achilles shouted over the chaos as he ran with the crowd. Before anyone could do anything, the Ancients transported themselves and their followers away in a flash.

Once everyone somewhat calmed down, Alexander took the stage again.

"All tyros, please head to your new Sector leaders and get orders from them. To everyone, the Ancients that did not flee have been apprehended and taken away. Please return home, we will let you know more tomorrow."

With that, everyone left in a somewhat orderly fashion. As they parted their separate ways, Andromeda commented to Melissa and Scorpia,

"That was a Sector Ceremony gone wrong!" They both replied,

"Ditto!"


	2. The Meaning of Athena

A/N: Another chapter! Enjoy!

Following her sector leader, Andromeda and the others were led into the Athena Sector of Cloria. They were amazed at all the statues and art on public display. Tyros were never allowed into the Sectors before their Sector Ceremony. They were all trained at what was called the Compound. Andromeda took note of the others in her generation that were in her sector. There was a quiet girl named Clytemnestra that Andromeda occasionally talked to, but not too often. She was not surprised that Clytemnestra picked Athena because she was always very studious. Then there was Patrick, a guy who was not the best fighter, but memorized almost every history fact known. There was also Marius, who was an excellent strategist and planner, albeit being not that much of a fighter. In addition, there was Thalia, who was one of Andromeda's close friends. When they fought together in combat, they were an almost unbeatable duo. Lastly, there was Jasper. Andromeda's rival in almost everything. Since they met when they were 6, they always tried to outdo each other. Andromeda usually came out on top, but that never stopped Jasper from trying. Andromeda didn't even realize their rivalry until they were 10, and Jasper announced it aloud to everyone.

Andromeda was drawn out of her musings by Marius asking a question.

"Why do all these Greek statues have no pupils or irises? They creep me out!" In reply, one of their Sector Leaders, Atticus Jeegan, told him,

"I'm not sure. They creep me out too!" Leave it to Marius to ask about statue eyes right after the Ancients start a rebellion. Clytemnestra was next to voice a question,

"What is the Council going to do about the Ancients?" Patricia Blaizen, their other leader, replied back,

"You need not worry about that. Let's just focus on the task at hand!"

"But if the Ancients are on the loose, someone needs to take care of them!" Clytemnestra responded.

"I said you don't need to worry!" Blaizen almost yelled. "The Council will take care of that!"

The rest of their trip to the Athena Headquarters was taken in silence. All the tyros were amazes by all the advanced architecture and designs. Andromeda was trying to take in as much as possible just from looking at it! Once they reached their destination, the Sector Leaders ushered them inside to what looked like an amphitheater, with it curving around like a basin.

"Welcome, new tyros, to the Athena Sector Headquarters, more commonly known to us as the Owl!" announced one of the other 4 leaders, Helena Trixtor.

"We are so happy you joined our Sector!" added in, the last leader, Astor Seeva. "Please take a seat so we can begin our introduction!" Astor declared. All the tyros took a seat and looked attentively at the 4 leaders on the stage.

"As aforementioned, we welcome you all to the Athena Sector; you have now all sealed your destinies." Atticus began. "Before you can rejoin your friends from other sectors for one last night, we want to give you an orientation on what it means to be in the Athena Sector."

"First of all, let's go over the rules," Helena announced. "No interfering on another's learning experience. That is our #1 rule here. If you are caught trying to distract someone studying or learning, the consequences will be most severe.

Second, treat everyone fairly, and do not discriminate of be prejudice. We may not be the Nemesis Sector, but we will not tolerate unfairness.

Third, fighting with weapons and injuries is allowed, as long as no one dies, someone's property is harmed, the other is unarmed, or the fight infringes on any other rules, like #1.

Fourth, you must maintain a very high grade average; Athena is the goddess of wisdom, after all! If you follow those 4 rules, you should do fine in this Sector!" At this point, Patricia took the stage, and continued on.

"We are the Athena Sector. We honor intelligence and bravery, and show disdain to the unjust and cowardly. Now, you will learn the meaning of Athena. I'm sure you all know this, but let me reiterate it for you. Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis. Zeus had received a prophecy that his next child would overthrow him. To prevent this, he challenged Metis to a shapeshifting contest.

When she turned into a fly, he ate he. Yes, he ATE her. Great parent and husband. Anyway, while inside Zeus's head, Metis pounded away at making a full set of armor for Athena. Athena was born inside Zeus' head, and donned her armor. This gave Zeus such a bad headache that he asked Hephaestus to split his head open with an axe. Great way to solve problems, hit them with an axe, even if it's your head!

Back to the story, Hephaestus gladly obliged, and when he hit Zeus' head, Athena popped out dressed in full battle armor. Since she was not born normally, but then again how many of Zeus' kids were born naturally? Dionysus came out of his thigh... Anyway, since she had an abnormal birth, the prophecy cancelled out. That is the story of Athena's birth!"

Patricia backed away once more and let Astor take the stage. He then told the story of Athens.

"Athena's and Poseidon's rivalry started over the city of Athens. Both wanted it for their patron city, so they competed for it. The objective was to give the city a great gift. Poseidon gave them a water spring, but since it was salt water, nobody really liked it. On the other hand, Athena supplied an olive tree, and the people loved it! They ate the olives, and used the wood for tools! I always wondered what Athens would be called if Poseidon won, hmmm... Poseiths? Poseidons? Poseidonths? Ok, I'm just glad Athena won!"

He concluded his part, and stepped back once more. Now, it was Atticus' turn to speak. "I hope you all understand truly what it means to be an Athena. It means to value intelligence and skill, but not to the point of overconfidence and pridefulness.

During the course of your life, you may come across people that don't share your beliefs. That's ok, but remember that you will all find friends in the Athena Sector. This concludes our introduction speech, please follow-" He got cut off as a bright light began shine above everything else.

"COVER YOUR EYES!" all the leaders shouted to the tyros. Everyone obeyed, and when the light died down, a woman with startling grey eyes was at center stage. The four leaders immediately knelt in recognition of who it was.

"Lady Athena, what an honor!" the four leaders spoke. "Why have you come here tonight?"

"Rise, you dutiful leaders of my Sector! I have come here tonight in regards of the Ancients."

"What can we do for you?" Helena inquired as they all rose to their feet. A god rarely visited a sector, and to do so would be considered a high honor.

"It is time that a new champion is brought to the light of Olympus."

"A champion? But that can only mean-"

"Do not discuss it here."

"Of course. Who might the champion be?"

"I look for the one named Andromeda Bellator. She must come with me immediately." Andromeda palled at that statement, but put on a brave front and strode forward.

"Lady Athena, " she began, as she knelt down. "I will do whatever you need."

"Rise, Andromeda Bellator, you must come with me to Olympus at once!" Gasps were audible from pretty much all of the crowd. It was exceptionally rare for a person, let alone a newly sectored tyro, to visit Olympus.

"Grasp my hand and I will fire flash us out of here. You can fire travel, correct?" Andromeda nodded nervously as she held Athena's hand. As they both flashed away, Andromeda was seriously contemplating the meaning of Athena.


	3. Cryptic Prophecies

Athena and Andromeda appeared in the center of the Olympian Assembly. It used to be just for the Olympians, but since the Collision, all minor gods have a seat on the Assembly as well.

"I have brought you Andromeda, like you asked!" announced Athena.

"Great, now we can fully begin," Zeus replied. "Welcome, all of you, and welcome our little Athena tyro to the Assembly. You may wonder why I brought you here today,"

At this point, almost all the gods yelled in agreement. "Silence! This is an important meeting!"

"Of course it is!" shouted Dionysus. "Just like that time you called us here to help you find your lightning bolt!" Murmurs of laughter were heard amongst the crowd.

"SILENCE! Did none of you see the Ancients begin their 'Revival' yesterday? That is what this is about! Not me losing my best and most powerful weapon! On second thought, where did that go... Anyway!

We are gathered here today to discuss the Champion and how to stop this Ancient Revival. First, and foremost, we have to protect the Valite Stone. If the Revival gets their hands on that we are in a lot of trouble-"

"Lord Zeus!" Hermes yelled as he flashed into and interrupted the meeting. "The Valite Stone had been stolen!" All the gods exploded in accusation at Zeus for letting that happen.

"QUIET! Now, Hermes, when and where was it last seen?"

"In it's case in the Hero Museum...oh...oops."

"WHAT IDIOT PUTS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON KNOWN TO OLYMPUS IN A MUSEUM DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE REVOLTING AGAINST US!?" shouted Zeus in anger.

"Um, Zeus, you know that museum is in your Sector, right?" Poseidon pointed out.

"Oh...um...well, I want maximum security around every place holding powerful artifacts, we don't need any more stolen! Ares, Athena, Bellona, and any other combat specialist sector, get on that now!"

"Lord Zeus, all artifacts and items in the Athena Sector are already secure and under armed guard," Athena declared proudly. "I think our young tyro deserves an explanation of what is happening." It was true, during this whole debacle; Andromeda just knelt in awe at just being in the presence of so many gods at once.

"Alright, Andromeda, rise and let us explain some things to you," Zeus complied. "First of all, the Valite Stone is a stone of immeasurable power. It is uncertain of how it was created, but that was sometime before the Golden Age. With that stone, the wielder will have an increase in power and strength. It is one of the 4 things that can mortally wound a god." Andromeda just stood their, taking it all in, when she asked a question.

"What does this all have to do with me?"

"It has everything to do with you! You are the Champion!" Athena declared.

"That is not known! It could be someone else!" Hades countered.

"It has to be her! The Prophecy doesn't fit much anyone else!"

"Wait, there's a prophecy about me?" Andromeda asked innocently.

"You do not need to-" Athena was cut off by Zeus,

"Its okay, Athena, if, and if she is the Champion, she needs to know it. Apollo! Please recite it for us!"

"Okay, Lord Zeus! Here it is:  
_A day will come when the heroes uprise_

_And take an item that leads to demise_  
_A savior, will be a child born into the air_  
_And they will have help from the scorpion and the mare_  
_When they have their biggest challenge to face_  
_Help will come, their saving grace_  
_But beware of the second brightest of them all_  
_That person's trust could lead to the Gods downfall_  
_Luck will come with many quads_  
_This child we be the Champion of the Gods_

Andromeda was just as puzzled as the rest of the gods. At once, everyone started complaining and making suggestions.

"WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET!" Zeus roared. "Hephaestus, make me one of those things that the mortals use in courts to quiet everyone down."

"You mean a gavel?" Hephaestus verified.

"Yes one of those things. Back to business! Can anyone decode any part of this prophecy? And, ONE AT A TIME!"

Andromeda nervously spoke up, "Lord Zeus, I think I know part of it."

"Please enlighten us."

"Well, I am a very successful Air User. And my friends, Scorpia and Melissa might be the Scorpion and Mare. Scorpia, well, is scorpion, and Melissa has joined the Poseidon Sector. Mare means 'sea' in Latin. Also, is everything around here based on fours because of that 'quad' line? I mean, 4 Sector leaders, 4 God-harming tools, and there are so many others!"

"Yes, that is why we have so many 4's. Your interpretation sounds very plausible. Anyone object?"

"Yes, Zeus, I do." Hera declared. "It says that we should not trust the second brightest, and she got 2nd for the written part of her tyro exam. I object!"

"Then who do you think is the Champion?"

"I'm not sure, but it's not her!"

"Anyone that thinks Andromeda is not the Champion, raise your hand now!" A few gods raised their hands, Hera, Poseidon, and Hades being some. "Sorry Hera, but you are outvoted. Until proven differently, Andromeda is our champion! Now let's move on to what to do about the Ancients-" He was cut off by a large banging noise on the outside of the Assembly Building.

Ares yelled, "WERE BEING ATTACKED! RALLY YOUR SOLDIERS!" All the gods disperses to take care of their legions. Only Andromeda and a few others remained. As Andromeda drew her spear and looked for an exit, she wondered why prophecies had to be so cryptic.


	4. Spiff Skills

**A/N: Another chapter! I love Spader-speak! Most of my fighting knowledge comes from the Pendragon book, Rivers of Zadaa, so that is why it might sound a little Batu-ish.**

Andromeda leaped, or more appropriately, flew into battle with her spear in defense position. She continued to use her Air Powers in the battle against her opponents. She wasn't sure who exactly was even attacking her until she heard someone shout, "DOWN WITH OLYMPUS! UP WITH THE REVIVAL!" She then knew that she was fighting a Revival soldier, one of ones in the Ancients' army. Duck! Stab! Swing! Stab! Duck! Stab! Jump! Stab! Finally! She had stabbed her opponent in the shoulder and moved on from his unconscious body. She prepared to face more soldiers, but was not too surprised when none were left. She guessed that the appearance of 30 some gods can send any human running in terror. Especially if one of those gods was Deimos, Terror himself.

All the gods looked in pretty good condition, only one goddess, Iris, had a slight injury. Maybe rainbows aren't the most lethal substance. The gods were just about to head back into the Assembly room, all surprised at the lack of the Ancients using the Valite Stone, when a loud war cry was yelled out, "ATTACK!" Everyone turned around to see Heracles in a war chariot, with Achilles, Perseus, Theseus, and other Ancients flanking him. Embedded on a crown on his head, was none other than the Valite Stone, glistening in all of its golden glory. Fortunately, for the gods, Ares, Bellona, Athena, and all the other gods were back with their legions of soldiers, ready for combat. With a quick scan-over, Andromeda noted that the only brand new tyros fighting were Melissa, Jasper, Scorpia, Thalia, Sirina, and Andrew from Ares. The rest of the fighters were above tyro age. The Olympian Legions greeted the Ancient Armada on the middle of the streets of Olympus and began the battle. With the power of the Valite Stone, the Ancients were able to fend off the gods, and even injure some the weaker ones.

Blood and ichor were beginning to spill as more and more people/gods were knocked down. Andromeda was a whirlwind of energy as she took down more opponents. Literally, she had conjured a whirlwind of air with some water mixed in to aid in her battle. As she fought, she wondered how the Ancients had gathered such a large army. To get this large, they must have been recruiting from more than just Cloria and its outlying areas. After mulling over her thoughts, Andromeda once again put her entire focus into the battle at hand. As she slayed her current adversary, she glanced up, ready for the next one. From the stance of her approaching opponent, she could tell it was a girl, even though her face was under a helmet, and that this girl wasn't to strong.

She waited for the girl to make the first move, as her teachers always reminded, never make the first move unless it is a surprise attack. Or, if the you and your opponent circle each other indefinitely, and someone shouts at you to hurry up. Andromeda's been their, fought that. Anyway, she saw the girl's muscles tense up, which signified she was about to strike, Andromeda dodged just in time to strike back and trip the girl from under her feet. One well placed bonk and the girl was out cold. Andromeda then searched out her next challenger. Her fighting style was not traditional, since most Greeks and Clorians fought with bows and arrows or swords. She, on the other hand was pretty good with those, but her specialty lied with staves and spears. That helped a lot in battle because her opponents didn't know how to counter her fighting style.

Andromeda saw another angry-looking person coming at her, so she prepared her weapon. This person radiated an aura of power like no ordinary soldier, so she did not take this threat lightly. She could tell that it was a guy, but that was about it. Apparently though, he didn't know about the "don't make first move" rule either, because he just charged with brute forced. While he charged at her, Andromeda took a defensive stance, and looked as if she was about to impale him with her spear. On the contrary, she jumped out of the way right when he barreled past her, unable to stop his forward momentum. During this state of imbalance, Andromeda snuck up from behind, and knocked him flat on his back, and put some pressure from her foot on it to keep him there. She tried to disarm him, but as soon as she touched his sword, he leapt up, and caused her to stumble backwards a little. While mentally berating herself on letting her guard down, she regained composure just in time to avoid decapitation. She was up and ready to fight less than a second later. She swung at his legs to try and knock him down again, but he countered her strike with a skilled block of his sword. He appeared to have pretty good skills at sword-spear fighting, so Andromeda kicked it up a notch.

While thrusting her spear at him, she sent a mass of fire at his face as a distraction. Surprisingly, he countered it and returned to her a giant water ball. She side-stepped it and caused a mini-earthquake to rupture under his feet as she once again tried to whack him. Fortunately, Andromeda's spear made contact with his back, but unfortunately, her Earth Shock had so much force that he landed on top of her. Both had the wind knocked out of them as they tried get back to their feet. During this event, Andromeda somehow grabbed his sword, and pointed that and her spear at his chest. In response, he made an ice dagger out of the mist in the air. Andromeda then sent a fireball at it to try and melt it. Although, instead of melting the dagger, he moved it out of the way, and singeing his arm in its place.

To Andromeda's surprise, not normal blood poured out, but ichor, the golden blood of the immortals. They both froze it utter surprise. She had managed to harm an immortal. She, a newly-Sectored tyro, had actually harmed an immortal, not necessarily a god, but an immortal. He stood in awe that a newly-Sectored tyro actually hurt him. After a about a minute of staring at each other, Andromeda resumed their fight with jabbing him repeatedly with the butt of her spear and his sword. Because of these gut jabs, the immortal guy fell over and passed out. Andromeda immediately bound him with an Air and Water rope. She then manipulated the air to carry him back to the Assembly Room.

Once she got there, she saw that majority of the gods, and all the other tyros were there as well. Every single eye was wide, and every single mouth agape at the sight of her levitating in a body bleeding ichor.

"Um...Andromeda...who is that?" Melissa asked.

"Oh it's a guy I defeated!" Andromeda replied brightly

"I meant, who he is, exactly, as in a name! Not many people drip ichor!"

"Yes, we would all like to know who that is!" Athena added. All eyes were on her, godly or human. Suddenly, Hestia flashed in with an injured Poseidon hanging on her arm.

"APOLLO! WHERE ARE YOU!" she yelled.

"Right here! What do you...oh, oh my gods!" he exclaimed at the site of the battered Poseidon. While Apollo tended to Poseidon, everyone else put their eyes back on Andromeda.

"Well...um...let me check now," she got out. She then pulled off his helmet and looked at his face. She loudly gasped at who it was, and almost dropped him. That was followed by the gasps of most every one else in the room. That was followed again by those with delayed-gasp-disorder. All the tyros, and even some of the gods knelt down in front of Andromeda. She was in a total state of shock at who it was. She knew precisely who he was, for she had seen his face many times on statues all over Cloria and in her history textbooks during her early training. Athena was the the first to speak, "Hail, Andromeda Bellator, defeater of the Minotaur-slayer...Theseus!" After this proclamation, it left everyone thinking that this tyro had some pretty spiff skills.


	5. Crispy Critter

**A/N: Another chapter! I love Spader-speak! Most of my fighting knowledge comes from the Pendragon book, Rivers of Zadaa, so that is why it might sound a little Batu-ish.**

Andromeda leaped, or more appropriately, flew into battle with her spear in defense position. She continued to use her Air Powers in the battle against her opponents. She wasn't sure who exactly was even attacking her until she heard someone shout, "DOWN WITH OLYMPUS! UP WITH THE REVIVAL!" She then knew that she was fighting a Revival soldier, one of ones in the Ancients' army. Duck! Stab! Swing! Stab! Duck! Stab! Jump! Stab! Finally! She had stabbed her opponent in the shoulder and moved on from his unconscious body. She prepared to face more soldiers, but was not too surprised when none were left. She guessed that the appearance of 30 some gods can send any human running in terror. Especially if one of those gods was Deimos, Terror himself.

All the gods looked in pretty good condition, only one goddess, Iris, had a slight injury. Maybe rainbows aren't the most lethal substance. The gods were just about to head back into the Assembly room, all surprised at the lack of the Ancients using the Valite Stone, when a loud war cry was yelled out, "ATTACK!" Everyone turned around to see Heracles in a war chariot, with Achilles, Perseus, Theseus, and other Ancients flanking him. Embedded on a crown on his head, was none other than the Valite Stone, glistening in all of its golden glory. Fortunately, for the gods, Ares, Bellona, Athena, and all the other gods were back with their legions of soldiers, ready for combat. With a quick scan-over, Andromeda noted that the only brand new tyros fighting were Melissa, Jasper, Scorpia, Thalia, Sirina, and Andrew from Ares. The rest of the fighters were above tyro age. The Olympian Legions greeted the Ancient Armada on the middle of the streets of Olympus and began the battle. With the power of the Valite Stone, the Ancients were able to fend off the gods, and even injure some the weaker ones.

Blood and ichor were beginning to spill as more and more people/gods were knocked down. Andromeda was a whirlwind of energy as she took down more opponents. Literally, she had conjured a whirlwind of air with some water mixed in to aid in her battle. As she fought, she wondered how the Ancients had gathered such a large army. To get this large, they must have been recruiting from more than just Cloria and its outlying areas. After mulling over her thoughts, Andromeda once again put her entire focus into the battle at hand. As she slayed her current adversary, she glanced up, ready for the next one. From the stance of her approaching opponent, she could tell it was a girl, even though her face was under a helmet, and that this girl wasn't to strong.

She waited for the girl to make the first move, as her teachers always reminded, never make the first move unless it is a surprise attack. Or, if the you and your opponent circle each other indefinitely, and someone shouts at you to hurry up. Andromeda's been their, fought that. Anyway, she saw the girl's muscles tense up, which signified she was about to strike, Andromeda dodged just in time to strike back and trip the girl from under her feet. One well placed bonk and the girl was out cold. Andromeda then searched out her next challenger. Her fighting style was not traditional, since most Greeks and Clorians fought with bows and arrows or swords. She, on the other hand was pretty good with those, but her specialty lied with staves and spears. That helped a lot in battle because her opponents didn't know how to counter her fighting style.

Andromeda saw another angry-looking person coming at her, so she prepared her weapon. This person radiated an aura of power like no ordinary soldier, so she did not take this threat lightly. She could tell that it was a guy, but that was about it. Apparently though, he didn't know about the "don't make first move" rule either, because he just charged with brute forced. While he charged at her, Andromeda took a defensive stance, and looked as if she was about to impale him with her spear. On the contrary, she jumped out of the way right when he barreled past her, unable to stop his forward momentum. During this state of imbalance, Andromeda snuck up from behind, and knocked him flat on his back, and put some pressure from her foot on it to keep him there. She tried to disarm him, but as soon as she touched his sword, he leapt up, and caused her to stumble backwards a little. While mentally berating herself on letting her guard down, she regained composure just in time to avoid decapitation. She was up and ready to fight less than a second later. She swung at his legs to try and knock him down again, but he countered her strike with a skilled block of his sword. He appeared to have pretty good skills at sword-spear fighting, so Andromeda kicked it up a notch.

While thrusting her spear at him, she sent a mass of fire at his face as a distraction. Surprisingly, he countered it and returned to her a giant water ball. She side-stepped it and caused a mini-earthquake to rupture under his feet as she once again tried to whack him. Fortunately, Andromeda's spear made contact with his back, but unfortunately, her Earth Shock had so much force that he landed on top of her. Both had the wind knocked out of them as they tried get back to their feet. During this event, Andromeda somehow grabbed his sword, and pointed that and her spear at his chest. In response, he made an ice dagger out of the mist in the air. Andromeda then sent a fireball at it to try and melt it. Although, instead of melting the dagger, he moved it out of the way, and singeing his arm in its place.

To Andromeda's surprise, not normal blood poured out, but ichor, the golden blood of the immortals. They both froze it utter surprise. She had managed to harm an immortal. She, a newly-Sectored tyro, had actually harmed an immortal, not necessarily a god, but an immortal. He stood in awe that a newly-Sectored tyro actually hurt him. After a about a minute of staring at each other, Andromeda resumed their fight with jabbing him repeatedly with the butt of her spear and his sword. Because of these gut jabs, the immortal guy fell over and passed out. Andromeda immediately bound him with an Air and Water rope. She then manipulated the air to carry him back to the Assembly Room.

Once she got there, she saw that majority of the gods, and all the other tyros were there as well. Every single eye was wide, and every single mouth agape at the sight of her levitating in a body bleeding ichor.

"Um...Andromeda...who is that?" Melissa asked.

"Oh it's a guy I defeated!" Andromeda replied brightly

"I meant, who he is, exactly, as in a name! Not many people drip ichor!"

"Yes, we would all like to know who that is!" Athena added. All eyes were on her, godly or human. Suddenly, Hestia flashed in with an injured Poseidon hanging on her arm.

"APOLLO! WHERE ARE YOU!" she yelled.

"Right here! What do you...oh, oh my gods!" he exclaimed at the site of the battered Poseidon. While Apollo tended to Poseidon, everyone else put their eyes back on Andromeda.

"Well...um...let me check now," she got out. She then pulled off his helmet and looked at his face. She loudly gasped at who it was, and almost dropped him. That was followed by the gasps of most every one else in the room. That was followed again by those with delayed-gasp-disorder. All the tyros, and even some of the gods knelt down in front of Andromeda. She was in a total state of shock at who it was. She knew precisely who he was, for she had seen his face many times on statues all over Cloria and in her history textbooks during her early training. Athena was the the first to speak, "Hail, Andromeda Bellator, defeater of the Minotaur-slayer...Theseus!" After this proclamation, it left everyone thinking that this tyro had some pretty spiff skills.


	6. Unusual Edicts

**A/N: If you want to be in this story, leave a name of your character and their Sector! Hobey-Ho!**

As Andromeda and her friends left Olympus with the gods still taking care of their roasted adversary, everyone walked in silence. Whether that was because they were all pondering their thoughts, or Thalia and Andromeda had forgotten to retract their wicked-sharp spears, while totally disregarding the "no weapons in public" rule, no one will ever know.

When they reached the Tyro Compound, they were not prepared for the groups people swamping them with questions. Feeling threatened, they all brought out their weapons and attempted crowd control. Eventually, Melissa got fed up and drenched everyone with salt water. "IF YOU WANT ANSWERS, KEEP BACK!" Andromeda yelled. That silenced everyone pretty quickly, along with the sight of her waving her spear at everyone.

"Okay, now I will answer some of the questions you all are probably asking! Yes, we fought in the battle against the Ancient Army, no, we did not die, obviously, yes, the gods are arguing, no, it will not become a civil war...I hope...Yes, there is a prophecy about a Champion, maybe, I might be that Champion, yes, Olympus is awesome, no, we do not get a pizza party, yes, I am in the Athena Sector, no! I do not want to try your chocolate satyr, yes, the Ancients are the Circle of Ancient Heroes, no, I do not own a guinea pig, and yes, I want you to ask questions one at a time!

This temporarily calmed everyone down, but before long, they had to fight off another question barrage.

"Do you like bloodlust?"

"Did you really defeat Theseus?"

"Did Zeus actually fry him?"

"Do you like to drink water from bowls?"

At this point, the questions were starting to get pretty ridiculous.

"ALL OF YOU BE QUIET! No, yes, yes, and no! Who drinks out of bowls?" Andromeda exclaimed.

"Dogs!" that person replied.

Before the next interrogation could begin, Sirina madly waved her spear around to make people back off. As she did this, the 4 leaders, Atticus, Helena, Patricia, and Astor showed up, and began to command everyone back.

"All of you, back to your barracks! You have 1 last night with your other-sectored friends, and you better enjoy it!" Astor yelled above the commotion. All the tyros dispersed to make the most of their one last night in the Tyro Compound. After this, they will all live in their Sectors.

"Thanks Sirina!" Andromeda called, but she then realized Sirina had disappeared, probably to go join her friends. Anyway, Andromeda, Melissa, and Scorpia met up with their other friend, Scarlett, who was proudly showing the sun on her arm, the mark of the Apollo Sector, and Cassiopeia, who was bore a moon on her arm, the insignia of the Artemis Sector.

"You guys missed so much! You had to be their!" Scarlett exclaimed in a hyper way. "Well, this kid in Apollo- Septimus, I think his name was- well, while he was admiring the giant statue of Apollo, he accidentally set on fire the-" She was cut by the sound of the announcement horn blaring.

"ATTENTION CITIZENS OF CLORIA!" Alexander Caesar, the Clorian leader yelled out over the speaker system. "DUE TO RECENT EVENTS, THE LAW PROHIBITING THE DISPLAY OF WEAPONS IN PUBLIC HAS BEEN REPEALED!"

Cheers were heard all around as tyros displayed their various assortment of weapons and armament. "HOWEVER!" he continued. "THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN GO AROUND RANDOMLY ATTCKING PEOPLE!" Booing could be heard from majority of the crowd, primarily the ones that chose Ares. "INFRINGEMENT OF THIS RULE WILL RESULT IN CONFISCATION OF WEAPON! THAT IS ALL!"

"Well, anyway," Scarlett continued, "he ended up setting on fire the-" Scarlett was cut of once again by the sound of other tyros charging into battle against each other. It seems that certain tyros have taken the repealment of the weapons edict to liberally.

Cassiopeia, who always loved a good fight, began to give a play-by-play once they had reached the safety of their barrack.

"Look at that!" she called. "Andrew just hit Jasper over the head with the butt of his sword! He looks out cold!"

"Yippers!" Melissa. She really did not like Jasper.

"Will you listen!" Scarlett cried exasperatedly. "Septimus set on fire the-"

"OH MY GODS A GIANT GUINEA PIG!" Scorpia yelled excitedly.

"C'mon, Scorpia," Andromeda began. "There is no–...OH MY GILGAMESH!" All of them stood looking out the window in shock at the giant guinea pig rampaging through the Tyro Compound. They all watched some trainers try to calm it, while others contacted handlers from the Pan Sector as quickly as possible. The guinea pig was causing mass damage to a few of the barracks, and was making its way to the Headquarters. If it reached that point, there would be some serious problems at hand.

"Is it just me, or do you guys not recall reading about giant guinea pigs in Ancient Greece?" Cassiopeia asked.

"They are a new hybrid breed formed after the Collision," Scorpia answered. Guinea pigs were Scorpia's favorite topic, and if you ever needed a fact about one, she's your girl! "When an average guinea pig met a Calydonian boar...well...I won't give you the details, but you can infer."

Soon enough, the Pan handlers had arrived and sedated the guinea pig, but not before it caused mass damage. All of them watched as Jasper, Andrew, and a lot of other tyros got in big trouble for starting a mock battle, and releasing a Calydonian Guinea Pig, as they later learned it was dubbed.

A Hephaestus crew would have to be called in the next day to fix it. As the girls got into their respective beds, Alexander's voice blared across the loudspeakers once more.

"NEW EDICT NUMBER 94 GOING INTO EFFECT IMMEDIATLY! GIANT GUINEA PIGS ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO BE HANDLED BY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS OF THE PAN SECTOR! ANYONE CAUGHT WITH ONE WITHOUT A LICENSE WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED! THAT IS ALL, GOODNIGHT!" After that, it left everyone silently contemplating that very unusual edict. Until Scarlett called out, "I never got to tell you about how Septimus set the one of the Apollo leaders on fire!"

"WHAT!?"


	7. Some Things Never Do Change

**A/N: Okay, I know naming someone after the 2 previous Illinois capitals is strange, but I wasn't feeling too creative name-wise today. Enjoy!**

"NEW EDICT! NO SECTOR LEADER IS ALLOWED TO BE SET ON FIRE WITHOUT A LICENSE OR UNDER AN EMERGENCY!" That was the announcement Alexander blared out as Andromeda and her friends woke up.

"Told you!" Scarlett groggily mumbled. As they got ready for the new day, they all moved very slowly, as if that would slow down time enough for them to get more time to spend together. They had lived together in this barrack since they could remember. In Cloria, parents only raise their children until age 5, then they get put in barracks for education and training. It may seem harsh, but Clorian children have a greater aptitude for learning than a normal mortal child.

"I guess this is in," Melissa stated sadly.

"Yeah, those were 9 good years," Andromeda added.

"At least you guys don't have the annoying people in your Sector!" Scorpia complained.

"You're the one who chose the trickster Sector!" Cassiopeia shot back. "I can't stand guys, so that is why I chose Artemis!" That was true. No guy was allowed into the Artemis Sector. If one tried to...well...bad things would happen. Let's just say that the last guy that tried...the Apollo doctors are still in the process of reattaching his limbs and other vital parts. At least she's not as harsh as she was during the Ancient Era. Back then, the body would be so subhuman that they couldn't tell one part from another.

"The only annoying person in my Sector that I know of is Jasper," Andromeda commented.

"Yeah, that guy can drive a lot of people crazy!" Scarlett added. "I heard that there is this absolutely crazy guy that joined Aphrodite! Let me think of his name...Ashton...no...Amicus ...no...Alana...maybe...well, I'll think of it later." They all continued packing until they all had all of their property safely locked in their bottomless-Hermes specialty-travel bags.

"Well, I guess this is it," Andromeda declared. They all took one last look at their barrack, and headed to the the headquarters of the Tyro Compound, where they would be separated by Sector, and brought to their new temporary barrack. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by some representatives from each Sector, and walked off to join them. Andromeda strode over to the Athena representative, and walked up to her. She noticed that the only other ones there were Clytemnestra and Marius, and a few others she didn't know.

"Hello!" the representative started. "I'm Vandalia Kaskaskia, but call me Vandalia, and I will be your representative for today! Please let me scan your arm so I can check you in!" That was another reason Andromeda wanted to join Athena. When someone decided his or her Sector and the Sector insignia was imprinted on their arm, somehow, all their identification information was transferred into it as well. Pretty much everyone from the Athena Sector have scanners implanted into their index finger, whether they are extremely old, or newly-Sectored. The only way to lose it would to commit a crime or felony. Andromeda held out her forearm as Vandalia scanned it, until she heard her gasp.

"What? Is their something wrong?" Andromeda asked nervously.

"No, it's just...it's just that you have an audience on Olympus! THE Olympus!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that, with rampaging rodents and all..." Vandalia looked at her incredulously, "But I have to help them resolve a fried problem" Sudden increase in incredulousness.

"If you head over there, a transporter is waiting for you!" Vandalia exclaimed. Andromeda headed in the general direction that she pointed, and searched around for a person. Sure enough, there was a woman standing around waiting for her.

"Hello, are you my-" Andromeda cut herself off when she saw the woman's eyes. Her startling gray eyes to be exact. "Lady Athena, thank you for-"

"Not here!" Athena whisper-shouted. "I have to get you from here to there without drawing too much attention! Now take my hand, and let's go!" "Of course!" Andromeda replied as she took Athena's outstretched hand. "Let's go!"

Upon arriving on Olympus, Andromeda immediately drew her spear and shield to protect from a flying thunderbolt. After the fact, she was only left with a flimsy charred spear, and a pile of ashes that used to be a shield. She made a mental note to buy some Athena weaponry with the extra durability factor.

"Great Zeus! You vaporized our Champion's weapons!" Poseidon jeered.

"At least I'm not the one that flooded his whole Sector compound!" Zeus shot back.

"She may not even be our Champion!" Hera interjected.

"QUIET!" Athena screamed. "I LEAVE FOR 5 MINUTES TO PICK UP MY TYRO AND I RETURN TO HER ALMOST BEING BLASTED TO SMITHEREENS! SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET IT!" The silence following her rant was so dead that you could have heard a feather drop. No one ever wanted to face Athena's wrath. "Thank you! Now, can we be civil enough to get through a conversation without frying anyone?" Arguing along the lines of, "I was civil!" and "Tell that to so-and-so!" broke out. "THAT'S IT!" Athena cried, exasperatedly. She then raised her fingers to her lips, and let out one of the most ear-piercing whistles ever. Everyone in the room, sans Andromeda who Athena put in a protective bubble, had their eardrums practically burst out.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Zeus, along with most of the other gods shouted. Athena only held up one finger, and calmly spoke,

"Wait for it...wait for it...NOW!" Upon saying "now" hundreds of owls flew through the windows and to the gods. Some got their eyes pecked on ferociously, others got little birdie presents on them, but one thing they all received was a shrill piercing hoots coming from each and every owl.

"STOP! STOP! WE'LL BE CIVIL! JUST STOP!" all the gods exclaimed. After a few minutes, Athena let up and sent the birds away. Andromeda found it highly amusing to see the gods covered in bird presents! If it wasn't for her warrior sense of self-control, she would be laughing like a nutter on the floor.

"Now, can we reconvene? Athena, that was highly uncalled for!" Zeus proclaimed. He appeared to be going for "powerful leader" but instead, he got, "idiot covered in bird goo"

"Yes, Zeus, I think you all understood my subtext!" Athena replied, smirk evident on her face.

"Ok, when you were gone, we established that something had to be done about Theseus, that Andromeda is our Champion, and that Poseidon is the idiot that flooded his own Sector!" Several gods looked at Zeus with raving expressions, ranging from, "You really want to go through that again?" to "It was your fault I flooded my Sector!" Only a moment of silence was available until the bickering resumed. Andromeda then thought, _Wow, some things never do change!_


	8. The Questions Not Asked

**A/N: Once again, sorry for really late update! **

Once the gods had finished bickering, the actual meeting convened.

"So, what are we going to do about this 'Champion' matter?" Athena questioned.

"I say that we try a diplomatic approach with the Ancients to try and get the Valite Stone back!" Hera exclaimed.

"Ok, let me rephrase that: any logical solutions?" Athena amended.

"Hey! It has worked in the past!" Hera rebutted.

"Yeah? Name one."

"Well...um...that time when...um..."

"Just as I thought. I say we send scouts to spy on the Ancient camp so we can make an informed plan on what to do," Athena commented. "I also say that this mission would be a perfect opportunity for a certain Champion to prove herself!" Murmurs of agreement were heard after hearing that statement.

"I second that idea!" Zeus exclaimed. "If she succeeds, we get intel and she proves herself to be worthy! If she fails..well, what's one less tyro?" Andromeda looked a little nervous at that statement. Anyone would, if they heard their life being talked about like it was worth nothing.

"Don't go talking about her like she's an expendable tool!" Athena defended. "She happens to be the one that defeated Theseus!"

"And that's exactly why I don't believe she should lead this reconnaissance!" Hera protested. "She doesn't need more glory than she already has!"

"That is not a good reason for her not to lead it!" Athena shot back. "For the record, I have heard that she is actually quite modest!" Andromeda was pretty surprised that Athena had been keeping tabs on her. She was amazed that she had attracted the attention of such a powerful goddess. "Anyway, she tied for highest score on the exams and was the #1 warrior in her generation! What better a person to lead this mission? And be our Champion!"

"But she might not have been the top warrior if her friend hadn't been distracted by that dog! How do we know she didn't summon the dog to distract the other girl?" Hera declared.

"First of all, she is not in the Pan Sector, and has never shown any great aptitude for animal summoning! And second of all, the girl was her friend! She wouldn't do that to a friend in such an important fight!"

"But I still don't think she's the Champion! There are others that could fit!"

"Yeah? Like who?"  
"Her twin, Sirina Bellator! It says 'child of the air' in the prophecy! Wouldn't a tyro from the Zeus Sector fit that line better? Zeus is the god of air!"

"But Andromeda is an exceptionally proficient Air User, and that is saying something!"

"But Sirina is the form of the name Sirius, which is a star, which is in the air!"

"Ok, now you are completely making off-the-wall connections!" Athena cried exasperatedly. "How about a compromise? They co-lead, but Andromeda is the actual leader. Like Lewis and Clark!"

"And who are these Lewis and Clark you speak of, Athena?" Zeus inquired.

"You seriously don't know who they are? You know, mortal explorers that the mortal American President Jefferson chose to explore the Louisiana Purchase and other western lands?" Athena only received blank stares from everyone except Andromeda. The room was so quiet that the occupants swore that they heard cricket noises in the background.

"Athena, not all of us happen to be wisdom goddesses or have much care for mortal history that does not pertain to us," Hades commented. "But I do like your co-leader plan."

"Yes, I believe it will be most beneficial for them to share this reconnaissance mission, especially since they're sisters!" Zeus agreed. "Also, since they are not immortals, the Ancients will have no methods of tracking their arrival or presence. Let's take a vote! All in favor of Andromeda Bellator leading this reconnaissance with Sirina Bellator as co-leader, but slightly below Andromeda in leadership?" Majority of the gods raised their hands in agreement, since the proposal did sound pretty decent. "Great! Now since the prophecy says that good luck comes in quads, I say that two more should join them on the mission! Who should?" Hera chose this moment to speak up once again.

"I believe that the boy from the Athena Sector-Jasper Zabrola, I think his name was- should be on this trip. He has shown a great level of intellect and would be an efficient addition to this squad."

"Are you insinuating that neither of those sisters are decent strategists?" One of them happens to be in my Sector, you know!" Athena shouted indignantly.

"No! I was just putting in my two drachmas! Who did you have in mind?" Hera retorted.

"Well, unless certain details had slipped your mind, the prophecy specifically says, "the scorpion and the mare" I suggest Andromeda's friends Melissa Blue and Scorpia Santorius. Mares are horses, which Poseidon here, invented. Melissa chose the Poseidon Sector. The scorpion part should be obvious enough to figure out!"

"I object! The scorpion part makes sense, but the mare could easily pertain to anyone in the Poseidon Sector, or even someone from the Pan Sector!" Hera explained.

"Why are you so opposed to everything I say?" Athena asked. "I mean, every single decision I make, you are against it. I know you have strong opinions, but not usually this strong! What's gotten into you?" At the mention of something being wrong with her, Hera momentarily paled, before regaining her composure.

"I am perfectly fine and sound of mind! How dare you accuse me of otherwise!?" Hera angrily replied.

"Yes perfectly sound of mind *cough*yeah right*cough*!" Hermes interjected. The look on Hera's face was priceless when a few gods nodded in agreement with Hermes.  
"Well, if you all think I shouldn't be making decisions, maybe I won't show up!" Zeus looked a bit panicked at that declaration, because even though Hera was annoying, she still needed to be present to maintain balance and order. Without her, things could get very out of wack.  
"Now Hera, there's no need to make such severe decisions," Zeus placated.  
"Yeah," Dionysus added. "No need to have a cow!" The sniggers emitted from the other gods at that pun were enough to send Hera into a rage. That was at least before Hypnos sent a sleep wave to come over her and knock her out cold.

"As much as we need her here, we do not necessarily need her awake," Zeus stated. "Thank you, Hypnos, and can we please get back to discussing the mission." Everyone present silently agreed that the meeting could go much more smoothly without Hera's input. "All in favor of Athena's reasoning to have Melissa Bleu and Scorpia Santorius join Andromeda and Sirina Bellator on the reconnaissance mission to investigate the Ancient's stronghold and if possible, retrieve the Valite Stone?" Every single hand was raised in agreement. Without Hera, more gods must feel freer to make their opinion known without fear of retribution. "Then it is agreed. In a few hours, let's reconvene with the other members of the mission to discuss supplies, tactics, and the remainder of the prophecy. All dismissed!"

As the gods filed out of the Assembly Room and Athena flashed Andromeda back to Cloria, Hera's sleeping body was "accidentally" forgotten in her chair. Because of this fact, no one was there to witness her awaken several hours before Hypnos's exceptionally powerful sleeping spell was supposed to wear off. Again, no one noticed when she materialized away with a semi-possessed reddish look in her normally brown eyes. Also, no one was present to wonder why she forgot to take her weapon of choice-a ceremonial dagger- with her. "What is the goddess of marriage up to?" nobody asked.


	9. Bingo!

**A/N: Should I throw in a male protagonist? Or are you people okay with 4 females leading the story? That's all I have to say, so on with the story! **

As she walked back to the Athena Sector from where Athena dropped her off, Andromeda had some time to think. She was still wrapping her mind around the fact that a major prophecy possibly rested on her shoulders. She was also wondering how her plans to begin intense studying in the Owl (Athena Sector HQ) changed into plans for a reconnaissance into enemy land. Albeit being quite skilled, Andromeda still had a healthy sense of self-preservation. Charging head on into territory where you are outnumbered and most likely out-skilled, didn't seem to self-preserving.

She had just made her way into the Owl, when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Quickly, she spun around, while taking a defensive stance. Luckily, it was no dangerous threat whatsoever. Unluckily, it was one of her biggest annoyances ever. Xova Ecnad. That one name can annoy the Hermes out of her. Xova was this guy who had a crush on her since they were about 10. He constantly asked her out, but she constantly turned him down. Andromeda didn't want to date guys in general, but he was usually at the top of her, "want to strangle" list. He was very weak and pale, almost stick-like. He was easily one of the most controlling, (although no one listened to him) pompous, (although everyone silently agreed that there weren't many of his qualities to be proud of) and odd person she had ever met. Sometimes you would see him mumbling some nonsense to himself, or air-stabbing and air-sword in someone's direction.

Once Andromeda and her friends lost track of how many times he asked her out, she decided to take a leaf out of Atlanta's book. She told him that once he defeated her in a duel without him cheating or having any aid, then she would go out with him. Since then, he would challenge her at the most random times, only to be defeated every time.

"Xova!" Andromeda called out. "What do you think you're doing here? In case you hadn't noticed, this is the ATHENA Sector, not the Mania Sector!" Xova was only an angstrom away from not even being able to participate in the Sector Ceremony. Actually, Andromeda wondered how he passed all of his Tyro Tribulations, especially combat.

"Are you suggesting that I'm insane?" Xova responded.

"Well..maybe not insane...but...yeah, I'm suggesting you're insane," Andromeda replied.  
"Anyway...I'll ignore that for now. I came all the way from the HEPHAESTUS Sector to challenge you once more to a duel! Begin!" Andromeda was so stunned that he chose the Hephaestus Sector, and they actually let him in. If it were up to her, Xova would never be allowed within 100 feet on flaming-hot metals and hammers. Because of this shock, Xova was able use his sword to actually land a moderately-lethal blow to her left arm.

Outraged, Andromeda immediately summoned her weapons and leapt into action. While expertly wielding her spear, she hoped to settle this dispute quickly so she can resume planning the reconnaissance quest. Surprisingly, Xova appeared to be holding his own during this duel, and for once, it lasted more than ten seconds.

As Andromeda feinted a stab to Xova's leg, he sidestepped right into the intended line of her spear. While recognizing that his leg was now bleeding, she disarmed him and through him to the ground roughly.

"How dare you attack me in my own Sector while I'm unarmed!" Andromeda yelled to him. "And just the fact that you entered without permission should warrant some sort of penalty!"

"What do you mean, unarmed?" Xova shot back incredulously. "You have to perfectly good arms right there!"

"That's not what I meant! One of the main rules in the Athena Sector is 'No attacking an unarmed opponent in a fair duel!" Andromeda pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm not in the Athena Sector anyway!" Xova stupidly announced.

"Xova...incase your eyes haven't noticed the giant owl statue, and the sign that says, 'Welcome New Tyros to the Athena Sector' I just want to point out that you technically are in the Athena Sector," Andromeda told him sarcastically. He was starting to really get on her nerves. "Speaking of which, how did you make it this far without being stopped anyway?"

"Easy. I just have to walk around, look like I'm made of smarticle particles, and have it appear to look like I belong here. Which I do, since I belong anywhere since I am in charge of everything!" Xova idiotically replied. Suddenly, a new voice joined the foray.

"Care to repeat that in front of the Clorian Council, Xova?" Both Andromeda and Xova turned to find Astor Seeva, one of the four Clorian leaders, standing in plain view. Both of them also had a feeling that he witnessed their entire transgression. "Because that is exactly where you are going. Andromeda is right, you did break one of our Sector rules. Follow me, now!"

"But what about Andromeda! She fought me back! Look at what she did to my leg!" Xova cried.

"Andromeda was not the one to attack an unarmed opponent, and Andromeda is not the one who is trespassing into another Sector," Astor calmly replied. "Anyway, Andromeda, you should go prepare for your...excursion. I will handle Xova."

"Thanks Mr. Seeva!" Andromeda happily cried with glee. Xova usually got out of punishments because people believed he was mentally unstable. But she knew Astor would not be like that.

"Call me Astor, saying Mr. Seeva sounds too formal for someone of your status." Andromeda slightly blushed at that comment, whereas Xova looked infuriated by it, but made no comment.

"See you later, Andromeda!" Astor called.

"See you too!" She replied.

As Andromeda continued her walk back to her new barracks, she thought about what her strategy for this mission would be. She also wondered why the gods had the brilliant idea to give her only a few hours notice. Within 24 hours, she most likely will be on a treacherous journey to enemy lands. She and her fellow mission-mates need a well thought out plan. Then she thought back to Xova's words, _"Appear like you belong there." _Her head snapped up in realization. Bingo!


	10. Volunvictus

**A/N: Same question as last chapter, do you people want a male protagonist? I need to know before I write the next chapter. Also, today I learned that this story had 50 million grammar/spelling errors. They are now all fixed! On with the story!**

Andromeda was still mentally formulating a plan when she walked into her barracks. Literally, she was so immersed in her thoughts that she missed the door and walked into the wall.

"Smooth like a sword!" Thalia called, while stirring Andromeda out of her thoughts. "Care to enlighten me on why the ever-aware Andromeda Bellator just walked into a wall?"

"I'll have you know, I was making plans so that Melissa, Scorpia, my sister, and I don't get murdered brutally!" Andromeda replied.

"What's got your spear in a twist?" Thalia shot back.

"I don't know, maybe it's the fact that the gods have suddenly decided to send us on a reconnaissance mission into enemy land with almost no time to prepare! We need a strategy!" Andromeda angrily retorted, as she bandaged her arm from Xova's wound. "Sorry, I don't mean to get made at you, but it's just that the gods are practically sending us on a suicide mission. My only plan comes from the words of Xova!"

"HIM? What did he say that is intelligent?"

"Something about making it look like you belong in a place. My idea was to go to the Ancient compound, steal their uniforms and wear them, then infiltrate their HQ to get info and hopefully the Valite Stone."

"Wow, that does sound like mission that most people wouldn't return from. But you and Melissa did get the top scores in our generation. So maybe it would only be a 99% suicide mission!"

"Thanks for your vote of confidence! Now leave me to pack and prepare! We have to be at the Clorian Council in two hours to be flashed to Olympus!" With that, Thalia went off to join in with the tasks and activities of any normal tyro. Too bad Andromeda didn't fall in that category. No, she HAD to have a prophecy about her that made the gods send her off on a "99% suicide mission"

Andromeda began to pack items into her bottomless, backpack that was Hecate-spelled to feel as heavy as she wished. While doing this, she mentally listed off mandatory supplies she would need. Food, provided by gods. Changes of clothes, check. Maps of all known Greek and Mortal worlds, which was enchanted by Hecate to be able to zoom in everywhere, down to streets, check. Tents, check. Specially made, Hephaestus fire-starters, check. Concealed wrist and leg holsters for knives, check. Right-arm wristband that turns into her spear, check. Same wristband for her shield on the other arm, check. Rope, check. She was pretty sure that she had everything, so she left the barracks and headed to Cloria.

Naturally, she was the first of her friends to arrive. The walk took about 30 minutes, so they still had an hour and a half. That gave Andromeda enough time to make a decent, if not crude, plan. So far, she had gathered that they would need to somehow take an some Ancient soldiers' uniforms, change into them, and then walk around and scout like they belonged in that camp. That was the part Andromeda was stuck at.

She definitely believed that Sirina could pull it off because she was always very good at creating a facade, she herself could possibly pull it off since she shared her sister's skills in a way. However, the main problem she was facing was her friends. Scorpia could not keep a straight face in that situation if her life depended on it. Which it does. Scorpia would always start cracking up like crazy during solemn moments. That would prove to be an obstacle.

Then there was Melissa. She wasn't as bad as Scorpia when it came to laughing, but she this crazy blinking problem. Whenever she had to do something risky, or face the crowds, she did this rapid-fire blinking thing. Unless, of course, she was in combat, but they couldn't just battle there way into the Ancients headquarters.

Andromeda finally decided that she would just coach them as they traveled along on not laughing/blinking when in a tough situation. She also had a few ideas on how to do it...but she would implement them later.

Just then, as she was moving on to another problem to ponder, she felt someone grab her backpack from behind and yank it up. Instinctively, she brought out her spear and pointed it at her attacker aggressively. Luckily, (or unluckily, depending on how one looked at it) she only found empty air behind her.

"I will get you for that, you know, SCORPIA!" she called to the emptiness. "Now cancel your Hermes powers!"

"How did you know it was me?" a now-visible Scorpia asked.

"How many people do I know that come from the Hermes Sector-which is one of two Sectors with invisibility training- that would dare to attack me like that? Process of elimination."

"Well then...are you ready for this? I mean, one minute, we're watching Jasper get mauled by a giant guinea pig, then the next minute, were being sent on a death-mission!" Scorpia ranted.

"I know, but do you want some angry gods on your trail? I'd rather not be fried!" Andromeda told her.

"Yeah, you've got a point, but still, they think our lives are just expendable toys to be played with! Those Ancients do have a point, even though they're against us," Scorpia pointed out.

"How can you say that!?" Andromeda shot back at her. "The gods are the reason that our whole society can exist! If they heard you talking like that, they could fry you like a fish!"

"Exactly! You just proved my point! The gods have temperament issues! I mean, majority of those Ancient Heroes' problems were because of the gods! Odysseus spent who-remembers-how-many years at sea because he poked Poseidon's cyclops son in the eye, WHO TRIED TO EAT HIM! Any normal Greek would do that!" Scorpia proved.

"Okay, I kind of see your point...but that doesn't mean that we should go around, ticking off exceptionally powerful beings! We will be in there presence in little under an hour!"

"They won't kill us; we're "of the prophecy"!"

"You haven't had as much contact with the gods as I have, recently. Yes, they will."

"Oh, so you go see the gods for a few meetings, and you suddenly think that you're an expert on them?"

"No! I didn't mean that! I just meant-" Andromeda was cut off as a new voice joined the fray.

"She meant exactly that," the new arrival, Sirina added. "The gods WILL reduce you to ashes at the slightest sign of disloyalty," she stated.

"And how would YOU know that?" Scorpia questioned as she turned to view the new twin. Despite being twins, Andromeda and Sirina didn't have much in common when it came to looks, except for their prominent cheekbones and sharp black eyes. Sirina was the taller of the two, with long blonde hair that she let fall to her shoulders. She fought more with strength and brute force when she wielded her gladius. Andromeda, however, had black hair that she tied up in a ponytail at all times. She fought mostly with speed and agility when using her spear. Both girls were frightening when angry.

"I know that because the Zeus Sector Leaders gave us a huge lecture on it. They spent an entire hour discussing one simple lesson: anger the gods, and you die. Doesn't matter who you are. Simple as that."

"Grrr! You twins are ganging up against me!" Scorpia yelled in frustration. "...volunvictus..." she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that word you called us?" Andromeda called angrily. "Volunvi-somthing!"

"Volunvictus," Scorpia answered. "I heard some older Hermes tyros using it. It means "will losers" as in, when you follow the gods, you lose your free will. Simple as that." Andromeda was wondering what was going on with Scorpia. They never got into arguments as loathing as this. Sirina and she looked ready to start taking advantage of that newly-repealed edict, until Melissa showed up.

"Hi guys! Why do you look ready to go to war?" she questioned innocently.

"Nothing," Scorpia replied in a somewhat less-angered tone. For some reason that no one could explain, everyone liked and calmed down around Melissa. Andromeda personally believed that she had a touch of Philotes blood somewhere many, many generations back. Philotes was the goddess of friendship, and...other things.

"Okay, something's up. As aforementioned, you guys look read to strangle each other. And the fact that Scorpia didn't burst into hysterics confirmed that."

Andromeda grabbed Melissa aside, and whispered, "I'll tell you later! Drop topic now!" When she released her shoulder, Melissa complied with her command. For the remainder of the time they were waiting, they all sat in silence, with only Melissa trying to make casual conversation here and there. Finally, there was a flash of light behind them, and Hermes appeared out of it. Scorpia looked pleased that her Sector god had showed up, but made no comment.

"Okay, all of you grab my arm so I can take you to Olympus!" Hermes stated in a cheerful tone. It totally defeated the somber mood that had been previously permeating the air. Once all the girls complied, he whisked them away to the Olympian Assembly. Andromeda just thought,_ We immediately complied with Hermes; no questions asked. Are we really volunvictus?_


End file.
